Hi there, I’m Jen.

How do we get there?

Get where you might ask.

I’m talking about a place where so many of us have found ourselves today. It’s a place of comfort and security. I’ve been there many times and the older I get the harder it is for me to wish for anything else.

Last week I had to get down on my knees again and ask Daddy God to re Awaken me. I didn’t mean to do it, I never do. I didn’t mean to let my spirit fall asleep, but somehow it managed to find it’s way there again.

Life continues to be settling into place in so many areas of my life and the temptation to just sit back and coast is a real struggle (if I’m being honest, and I am).

BUT THEN

I’d miss out on the MORE that I know I was created for and I just can’t have that happen.

In order to chase after the dreams God has for me, I’m going to need to feel the cost again.

So.

A few weeks ago…

I put my notice in at my very wonderful job.

I reached out and hired a business coach.

I invited some close friends to join me on the journey and encouraged them to pray the same way.

What’s holding you back? Are you comfortable? Are you sleeping?

May this somehow spark an awakening in you.

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The first candle of Advent signifies the everlasting hope of the Christmas season. Photo credit to ImageVine

This is that wonderful time of year where many of us begin to reflect on the blessings we’ve received throughout the year. Over the weekend, we celebrated Thanksgiving with our families, said goodbye to cornstalks and pumpkins, and entered into the new season of Christmas as we woke up to a winter wonderland outside.

Ready or not, here it comes.

And so the busyness continues – We scramble to find the right gifts, quickly assemble a holiday greeting card, throw together mom’s yearly calendar, and buy another year of Christmas pajamas for the kids.

If we’re not careful, we may be tempted to get caught up in the bliss of it all and wish away the most important part.

The gift we have received in Jesus Christ.

Last night, I hung the Advent calendar, bought a new set of candles to go into our wreath, wrapped Christmas books to open up each night and put them under our tree.

Although the next few weeks will feel like a blur, we will pause each day to reflect on the best gift of 2018.

Thank you Jesus for another wonderful year. You have always been the best part of every season.

We are so thankful.

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As we darted off into the Ganaraska Hiking Trail, I didn’t have a care in the world. That’s how I usually like to roll.

Wild and Free

That’s how I’ve always been. I like adventure. I like to experience God in all the facets of life.

I was leading us – my favorite guy that is. He was letting me wander even though I had no idea where the trail was or if there even was one for that matter.

And then at one point, he had to take the lead. I think he realized that I was just being my carefree self and the dangers we could get into if we just let my free spirit go. He had to rein me in.

Turns out, he was paying attention. He was making mental notes throughout our time in the woods about where we were heading and the path we needed to stay on, and the truth was… I was not.

We laughed about it in the car as we drove away and yet God has been speaking to me about it ever since. God created me this way and He knew that I needed someone who could lead the way. He knows all of the plans that He’s put inside of this heart of mine and that I would need someone to help me carry them out.

We sat down this morning on our last day here in Canada and mapped out our 2019 dreams.

Now Daddy, we need you to lead the way.

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path”. – Psalm 119:105

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The older that I get, the faster the days seem to go by. Realizing this, I’m more conscious of trying to squeeze as much out of them as I can. In the front of my mind, I’m always thinking of when we’ll all be together again, our family that is.

Throughout each week, I’m often trying to capture images to send off in group text messages to our oldest sons. I’m probably a tad bit stuck in denial that they have turned into young men. (baby steps).

In reflecting this week, I’m sensing how much I’m transforming. So many things have lost their place of priority in my life and I hope that continues to be the pattern in days to come. I want God to strip me of anything that isn’t His perfect will for my life. Truly I do.

I’m discovering how deeply my soul was created for simplicity.

God has taken me on this wonderful journey of letting go. Oh yes, it’s been painful, but I have never felt so alive before.

I no longer feel the pressures of performance or the need for a certain status. I’ve been caught up in just living my life. Imagine that. If I could go back and tell my younger self some things, it would be this:

Life is too short for enemies.

Be honest with yourself about what your life really is.

Live simple.

Love authentically, be ALL IN.

Don’t worry about the Jones’s. They aren’t a real family.

You have everything inside of you (because of Jesus) to be happy and content.

Country music tells some good ole’ love stories that can be good for the soul.

It’s been 11 days ya’ll.

11 days.

That’s how long I’ve been married to my guy. I told him during our first date that I really didn’t know if I ever wanted to marry again because all I really wanted to do was travel the world and tell people about Jesus. I was serious, really I was. A little over a year and here we are – married.

God knew.

We started this married life out with a bang… A blended family with 3 different soccer teams this fall, a new position at my church, my second year of grad school, continued work with the community at the Muskegon Rescue Mission, and a beautiful new farm like home to tend to.

My goodness how life has changed.

One thing remains the same… the alarm awakening me at 5:30 each morning where I spend some sacred moments with my Papa.

Oh God. You are so good. …So So good.

I know life is busy and we are all running around but somehow You are giving us the grace to run this way. Thank you!

The calendar is filling up quickly, the colors are on their way, and the cool air has brought me a reminder today to pause and praise You. Don’t let me miss the season of gratefulness because it’s the season of my heart.

I still want to travel the world and tell people about Jesus. I always will. <3

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“While we look not at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen; for the things that are seen are for a time, but those that are not seen eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18

I went down to two-days a week this summer at work and opted not to take any summer classes . I thought it would be a good way to help make sure I had a meaningful summer with my babes. In June we made our “summer bucket list” and we’ve crossed out our adventures one-by-one.

The older I get the more precious time is.

What a gift.

We’ve had campfires with s’mores, made trips to the lake, had picnics in parks, and have had lots of late night snuggles.

We are on our countdown stretch now to a new season and I am finding myself reflecting this morning while my sweet boys continue to sleep.

Although life will bring many new changes, my prayer remains the same:

That I will embrace the time I’m given with the ones I love.

Okay Fall. You may come now, but you must know that summer was good to us and we expect the same from you.

Research shows that

1 out of every 3 Americans is either a step-parent, a step-child, or has some other form of a blended family in some way, which means almost 100 million people.

It is estimated that more than half of all Americans either have been or will be included in a blended family during their lifetime.

40% of the married couples with children in the US are forming blended families right now.

Step-dads are more common than step-moms.

Americans get married, get divorced, and choose to cohabit more than any other Western society, which accounts for the inflation of many of these numbers.

10% of women in the US have had three or more marriages, divorces, or long-term cohabitation arrangements by the age of 35.

By the age of 15, 3 out of every 10 US kids will have experienced at least two mother partnerships.

1300 new step families are forming every day.

It’s one thing to write inspiring words for the world to read and then it’s another thing to live them out loud for the world to watch.

When I first started writing blogs nearly a decade ago, I had no idea what twists and turns my world would take. I just wanted to let God use my life more and I saw blogging as an opportunity to venture out into new territories with that.

This small step of faith eventually led to another and another. It fueled my heart to believe God was calling me to write books, host conferences, apply for seminary, and even believe that He could use my life to reach 1 million people.

The last 3 years have been very painful for me. Much more then I could ever conjurer up the words to share.

BUT God.

He’s been so very faithful my friends and He is rebuilding my life one piece at a time. Only He could turn something so broken into something so beautiful.

Only He.

As He heals my heart, I am finding my inspiration again and I forgot how good it feels. I pulled up an old word document that I started working on a few years ago. It was the beginning of a book on being a blended family…I guess it’s time for me to live out my own words. It’s time for me to practice what I preach.

The world has much to benefit from a blended family who lets their light shine bright.

November 2014

” I don’t think that it’s every little girl’s dream to one day write a book about becoming a blended family. I know that it wasn’t mine, yet God has filled me with an incredible passion to do so. Why? Because it’s part of my story. Yes, we are a blended family. I walked into this role when my children were very young.

When the boys were born, the thought of having to say goodbye to them before they ever hit double digits was never something that I thought about. It was too early for me to think about what life would look like for me when they were out of the home, but I was forced to do it when they were still very young. Sure, I still had them quite a bit, but I had to share my time with them with their father. Our life and family quickly became one of sharing holidays, weekends, and birthdays. It has not been an easy journey but God has been so faithful and because of that, I have been able to find purpose through it all. Even this, something as ugly as this, I can now look at as a precious gift from God.

If you are searching to find healing with the pain and loss of not having your children with you all of the time, there is hope, I promise! The truth is that these have been some of my favorite years. You see, He has a plan and He will see you through. In my journey of becoming a blended family, I have discovered so much about myself and my children. Things that I may have never discovered without this journey. Our story matters to God and He is painting a beautiful story with our family. We are survivors of divorce and God is making all things new.”

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For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven; a time to be born, and a time to die;a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 1: 1-8

There’s a powerful redemption story still being pieced together with my life and with my family. One that causes me to want to hide it long enough so that the full picture can be displayed. One that ONLY God could have woven and one that looks unique to us.

There’s a reason to celebrate in this season and it’s because God is doing a work that only He can do.